§ Mr. Keyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many compulsory redundancies there have been in maintained schools in England and Wales in each of the past three years.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe Department does not collect data of this kind. Such information as is available would suggest that compulsory redundancies among teachers aged under 50 were rare over this period. Between 1,500 and 2,000 primary and secondary teachers aged 50 and over were prematurely retired on redundancy grounds in each of the last three years but these would in the main have been willing volunteers.